23 Mar ONRA:Interview w/ Martial Artist, Brogan “Killer Bee” Walker
We got to sit down with the “Killer Bee” herself and had a couple of questions regarding her success not only in martial arts but in life.
Brogan Walker Team Teiya
What martial arts means to me personally:
Since I was young, studying martial arts has provided me with a meaningful personal philosophy.
Martial arts has enriched my life with principles that guide my personal growth and has allowed me to continue affecting the lives of others’ positively.
It is my personal belief that the way in which you understand your art/discipline reflects greatly in your life.
True mastery of your craft happens when it spills over into other areas of a our life.
The lessons I learn on the mat are the very same principles that drive my successes off the mat. When I feel tired or even injured in training but continue regardless, I begin to think ‘if I can do that, what else can I do?’ and from there begins a martial artists’ journey through the exploration of personal-potential. My shortcomings become evident as I push my mind, body and spirit to the limits and for that martial arts means the world to me. I am eternally grateful to be able to share with others what martial arts has taught me.
How it has affected me:
The way in which martial arts has impacted me the most is by its environment alone.
It has drawn many positive people to me through training. My students, team mates and coaches are the the people who, like me, are crazy enough to put on gloves or a kimono at the end of a long day at work or school and work on their craft.
It has taught me that it is our hard work and actions as a person that prove our value and not what others think about us.
Through making the transition to MMA I have seen how important it is to turn my ‘weaknesses’ into my strengths.
How does being an instructor Muay Thai affect you as a student of Jiu Jitsu?
Stephen Roberto, Mike Sanchez, Brogan Walker, Steve Oshiro
Studying Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu go hand in hand. Though the techniques themselves are different, many concepts and theories are the same. Being a Muay Thai instructor, has taught me how to balance the responsibilities I have in learning and developing techniques, with the commitment I have to my students’ leaning and development.
First and foremost as an instructor I have to be proactive about learning and developing my own technique. Next I have to make sure that I can relay that information in a way that is easy for my team to comprehend without handing it to them on a silver platter so-to-speak. This means maintaining a delicate balance of sharing information and allowing room for self-discovery. It can be challenging but my goal is to be selfish with acquiring knowledge and selfless in sharing it. Becoming a student in Jiu Jitsu continues to remind me of this balance. Training Jiu Jitsu put me back in the ‘student mind-frame’ which reminds me to keep an open mind.
How does your venture in MMA fit into your life as a mixed martial artist?
If could answer this question in one word it would be ‘snug’
Between the demands of work and school I juggle my commitment to both Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu and train somewhere between 2-5 hours of each, every week. As I quickly learned, if you want to be competitive in Mixed Martial Arts you need to dedicate as much time as possible. Facilitating group classes and personal training takes up about 10-15 hours a week and I wake up early on alternating days to meet with my strength and conditioning coach/ nutritionist.
While it keeps my schedule busy not to mention hectic, I have the perk of being able to squeeze in time with my other half (fiancé Mike Sanchez) who trains with me much of the time. We are able to travel in order to learn different methods and techniques and don’t miss out on time with each other. Having such a strong support group made my transition to professional Mixed Martial Arts a very natural and positive experience.